Monday, October 29, 2012

[Martin Hoerling] As to underlying causes, neither the frequency of tropical or extratropical cyclones over the North Atlantic are projected to appreciably change due to climate change, nor have there been indications of a change in their statistical behavior over this region in recent decades (see IPCC 2012 SREX report)...[Trenberth] So we do have a negative NAO and some blocking anticyclone in place, but the null hypothesis has to be that this is just “weather” and natural variability. ... [Patrick Michaels] It’s also consistent with a planet with colder temperatures as well as one with warmer ones. More important, events like this are inevitable on a planet that has an ocean with the geography of the Atlantic (meaning a Gulf Stream-like feature), a large north-south continent on its western margin without a transverse mountain range to inhibit the merger of tropical warmth with polar cold, and four seasons in the temperate latitudes. And I predict confidently that we will survive Sandy, which should not be a tropical cyclone at landfall.

On his show last week, a teed-off Letterman ticked off topics rarely mentioned in the presidential campaign.

Topping his list was global warming and, most importantly, what we’re going to do about it.

“In four and one-half hours of presidential debate, I don’t think global warming came up at all,” Letterman said. “That bothers me because I’ve got an 8-year-old son. What’s the world going to be like when he’s 65 years old?”

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing co-owner and TV personality David Letterman grew up in Indiana, and he looks back on his personal love affair with the Indy 500 in this four-part video interview produced by the Izod IndyCar Series.